The modern day
tongues movement is very popular.One of
the reasons it is popular is because people are looking for deeper meaning in
life.Many look for this deeper meaning
in the modern tongues movement.There are
other people who simply enjoy the thrill and excitement of the movement.Others are looking for spiritual maturity and
strength, and some are involved because their friends or family are involved.These reasons and others make the modern
tongues movement very popular.

The modern
tongues movement is another issue that divides religious people.It is a subject that we must address in our
endeavor to restore New Testament Christianity.We want to identify a clear Bible basis where all who desire can stand
together upon the common ground of God’s word.Our aim is to heal the division that Satan has created.

You might be
surprised to learn that our restoration efforts do not include the modern
tongues movement.In this chapter we will
look at the many reasons why we do not participate in the modern movement.

Two Common
Mistakes

Two mistakes
are common in the modern tongues movement.First, scriptures are abused and mishandled, and second, emotions are
allowed to take the lead.The Bible
warns us about both of these mistakes.Peter warned us that people would , “...twist [Paul’s writings] to
their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (II
Peter 3:16).In Proverbs 28:26 we
are warned that, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.”

But I Know
What I Felt

It is
difficult for people who get caught up in the modern tongues movement to deal
with the feelings that they have experienced.Many people have had exhilarating experiences in the modern tongues
movement.There can be no question about
whether or not they have had an uplifting experience.The questions is, was the Holy Spirit truly
the source of their experience, or was it something else?

You might be
surprised to learn that people outside of Christianity also claim to speak in
tongues.Many of the world’s religions
throughout history have claimed the ability to speak in tongues, even before
the time of Christ.The modern practice
of tongues is nothing unique in the world wide religious community.

The earliest
account of tongues is that of Wen-Amon in Byblos in 1100 BC.Tongues are found in Hindu writings as early
as 1000 BC.Plato (429-347 BC) mentions
tongues in three different writings, the Phaedrus, Ion, and Tunaeus.Virgil (70-19 BC) mentions the practice of
tongues among the Sibylline priestesses on the isle of Delos.The practice of speaking in tongues is found
in connection with the ancient Apollo cult, the Dionysus mystery cult, the god
Oro, the Shango cult of Trinidad, and many, many others.

Many
non-Christians have experienced speaking in tongues.They are also certain that their experience
is proof that they have been blessed with a gift from their god, or their
gods.We don’t deny that they have had
an exhilarating experience, but we do deny that anything miraculous has
happened.

Many who get
caught up in the modern tongues movement also think that their emotional
experience is proof.They forget that
feelings are not our guide.God warned, “He
who trusts in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26).The fact that people have exhilarating
experiences in the modern tongues movement, or in pagan religions, does not
prove a thing.We are looking for a
solid book, chapter, and verse Bible foundation.

Many today have been misled by the excitement
of the modern tongues movement.The joy
that they feel is their proof that they are right.They feel so good that they can’t imagine
that they might be wrong.This is likely
how those condemned in Matthew 7:22,23 felt, too.Jesus said, “Many will say to Me in that
day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your
name, and done many wonders in your name?’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness!’”Jesus
teaches us that Christianity is more than just feeling right.He teaches us to love the Lord, “...with
all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).He
teaches us that, “...if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a
ditch” (Matthew 15:14).

Please don’t
misunderstand us, we believe that Christianity involves the emotions of
man.We don’t want to turn Christianity
into a stoic religion.We believe that
Christians should be the happiest people in the world.Our point is that emotions do not prove we
are right.Solomon warned us that, “There
is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”(Proverbs 14:12).Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).Belief must be based on a solid book, chapter, and verse
foundation.First we come to know the
truth, and then we rejoice.

The Gift of
Tongues Has Turned Many lives Around

It is
absolutely true that some people have cleaned up their lives because of their involvement
in the modern tongues movement.Most
people in the modern movement believe in good old-fashion Bible morals, and
this is good.But, just because someone
would give up drugs, adultery, or other sins due to their involvement in the
modern day tongues movement, does not prove that it is right.

Consider a
similar example in Romans 10:1-3, Paul wrote, “Brethren, my heart’s desire
and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.For I bear them witness that they have a zeal
for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and seeking
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness
of God.”Notice first that Israel
was lost and Paul desired that they might be saved.Even though they were lost, their religious
beliefs contained some of the strictest moral codes known to man.Anyone who follows the Ten Commandments and
the rest of the Old Testament, as the Jews did, would truly live a life of
exemplary morals, but they would also be lost just as Israel was lost.There is more to Christianity than just being
moral.

Consider also
the fact that many non-Christian religions change people for the better.Some of the world’s religions embrace strict
moral standards.If an immoral person
truly began to follow some of the non-Christian religions, his life would
change dramatically, but he would still be lost, because there is more to
getting to heaven than just living a good moral life.Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life.No one comes to the Father
except though Me” (John 14:6).

Likewise, just
the fact that lives are turned around in the name of Christ, does not prove
that people are acceptable to God.Consider the people of Matthew 7:22,23, Jesus said, “Many will say to
Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out
demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”These people had been very active in the name
of the Lord, but they learned too late that there is more to being a Christian
than just religious activities.

Revelation 3:1
records a similar case, “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,
These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I
know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’”The church in Sardis had a great reputation
among men, but God’s judgment was completely opposite.This teaches us that just because we can
point to some good things that a religious group has accomplished, that does
not prove that they are acceptable to God.What we need is a solid book, chapter, and verse Bible foundation.

What Is Our
Need?

Some
people in the modern tongues movement claim that the Bible is incomplete.Others claim that the Bible is a puzzle that
can’t be solved without the gift of the Holy Spirit.These are serious claims and we must ask, is
the Bible incomplete?Is it a puzzle
that man cannot understand without the gift of the Holy Spirit?Let’s look at how the Bible answers these
questions.

Is the Bible
incomplete?

Paul taught
that the Scriptures give man everything man needs.Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16,17).The Scriptures make us complete and
thoroughly equipped for every good work.In other words, the Bible is complete; it’s perfect.

Jude said that
the faith was, “...once for all delivered to the saints,” (Jude 3).According to Jude, the faith was fully
delivered nearly 2000 years ago.The
Bible is complete.

Peter taught
that God, “...has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…”
(II Peter 1:3).Nearly 2000 years ago,
all things that pertain to life and godliness were given to man.Obviously, the Bible is perfect, it’s
complete.If there is a need for further
revelation, then the Scriptures are not complete.This would make the Bible false because the
Bible clearly states that it is complete.

Next, is the
Bible a puzzle that man cannot solve without the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Paul said that
we could understand the mysteries of Christ by reading the Scriptures.Paul wrote, “...He [God] made known
to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you
may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians
3:3,4).Paul said that a person can
understand the mystery of Christ by reading the Scriptures.

Later Paul
writes that we can understand how to behave ourselves by reading the Scriptures.He wrote, “But if I am delayed, I write so
that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God,”(I Timothy 3:15).Paul believed that his letters were
understandable.

Luke also believed
that the things he wrote could be understood.He wrote, “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a
narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who
from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them
to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all
things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent
Theophilus” (Luke 1:1-3).Luke
continued to write for Theophilus in the book of Acts (Acts 1:1).

John also
believed that the things he wrote could be understood.He wrote, “And truly Jesus did many other
signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but
these are written that you many believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God, and that believing you may have life in His name,” (John 20:30,31).

The Bible
writers clearly believed that their writings could be understood.They never taught that the gift of the Holy
Spirit was first required in order to understand their writings.The teaching of many in the modern tongues
movement is contrary to the Bible.We
cannot build a basis for unity upon such mishandling of the Scriptures.

The Problem
of Variations

The modern
tongues movement does not have a solid Bible basis.For example, there are serious doctrinal
variations among those who claim to be speaking by the Spirit.Some teach that women can’t be preachers,
while others teach that women can be preachers.Some teach that water baptism is essential, while others teach that it
is not essential.We wonder why these
major differences exist.If these
people are all speaking by the Holy Spirit, then why don’t they speak the same
things?The Bible teaches us that “God
is not the author of confusion” ( I Corinthians 14:33).It teaches us that God desires us to “...be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” ( I
Corinthians 1:10).Obviously, something
is wrong with the modern tongues movement.

The modern
movement actually increases division and confusion by teaching people to follow
the “leading of the Spirit,” even if it leads in contrary directions.This, of course, is counterproductive.Our goal is to cut through confusion and find
a solid Bible basis for unity.Jesus
prayed that we, “...all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21).We propose going back to the Bible and
building on a solid book, chapter, and verse
foundation.We believe that this will
lead us to common ground where the wounds of division can begin to heal.

Extra Power

Some in the
modern tongues movement further ignore the Bible by teaching people that they
can receive extra power by speaking in tongues.This extra power is suppose to enable its possessor to combat sin with
greater success.Sadly, people have been
misled into thinking that they will easily rise to new levels of spiritual
maturity and strength if they get the gift of tongues.

The Bible does
not teach that those who speak in tongues become stronger Christians.Rather, the Bible records for us the problems
that the Corinthians suffered, even though they had the gifts of the Holy
Spirit.Paul wrote, “It is actually
reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality
as is not even named among the Gentiles,” (I Corinthians 5:1).Their problems were not prevented or even
lessened by possessing the gifts.I
Corinthians 6:6; 7:10; 8:12; 10:14 and 11:21 reveal more about the problems of
the Corinthians.

The apostle
Peter was still subject to sin even after he had had many miraculous
experiences.In one case Paul opposed
Peter to his face.Paul tells us about
the incident, “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his
face, because he was to be blamed” (Galatians 2:11).The hope of receiving extra power through
tongues and thus becoming a superior Christian is a false hope.It is not a Bible teaching.

This hope of
gaining extra power through speaking in tongues is also a dangerous
teaching.It causes many to neglect
their studies and to rely upon feelings as their guide.Some people trust their feelings even when
their feelings are exactly opposite of what the Bible teaches.Paul warned us about departing from the Bible
when he wrote, “...if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you
have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9).

This teaching
of gaining extra power also gives people a false sense of security.In the first century, having the gift of
tongues was not a short cut to spiritual security.Security comes through the study (John 8:32)
and application (Hebrews 5:14) of God’s Word.Security comes by putting on the “whole armor of God” (Ephesians
6:10-17). There are no magical shortcuts.Spiritual security, strength, and maturity are developed through
constant attention to study and self discipline. The emotionalism of the modern
tongues movement actually keeps people from gaining the strength and maturity
they desire.

The Apostle’s
Hands

The modern
movement again ignores the Bible by teaching its followers to pray through for
the gift of tongues.The fact that not
once in the Bible is a Christian ever told to pray through for any gift
of the Holy Spirit is ignored.The
leaders of the modern movement, claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit, ignore
this fact and keep on encouraging their people to pray through for the
gift of tongues.

These modern
leaders also ignore the fact that in the first century the gift of the Holy
Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostle’s hands.Acts 8:14-18 shows this, “Now when the
apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God,
they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them
that they might receive the Holy Spirit.For as yet He had fallen upon none of them.They had only been baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus.Then they laid hands on
them, and they received the Holy Spirit.And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the
Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money.”Notice that the apostles personally traveled
to this city to impart the gift, they did not teach Christians to pray
through for the gift of the Holy Spirit.Simon, one of the local people, easily understood that only the
apostles could impart the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.

Later in Acts 19:6 we read of another account, “And
when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they
spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

In Romans 1:11 we read, “For I long to see
you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be
established.”Why didn’t Paul just
tell them to pray through?The
reason he did not tell them to pray through was because Christianity
knows nothing about praying through to receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.

InII Tim. 1:6 Paul wrote, “Therefore I remind
you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my
hands.”

Repeatedly,
the Bible tells us that the gifts were imparted through the laying on of the
apostles hands.The modern movement
ignores these direct scriptures and keeps on encouraging its members to pray
through.

The Case of
Cornelius

Another Bible
passage that the modern movement mishandles is Acts 10.This is the account of Cornelius, a gentile,
receiving the Holy Spirit in the presence of Peter without the laying on of
hands.However, in this passage there is
no praying through.In fact, the
Holy Spirit was upon Cornelius and his friends without any praying at all.They had no idea that they were about to
receive the Holy Spirit.The Bible
records that, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit
fell upon all those who heard the word,” (Acts 10:44-48).

The purpose of
this event is generally overlooked by those in the modern tongues
movement.The purpose was to show the
Jews that the gentiles were included in Christianity.This was a difficult idea for the Jews to
understand.The Old Testament system had
not included the gentiles like the New Testament.The Old Testament did not set out to
evangelize the world.It made some
limited provisions for gentile converts, but it did not have a “Great Commission”
directing the Jews
to go into all the world and convert the gentiles.The Jews were slow to accept the gentiles so
God provided a sign to the Jews through Cornelius.It was only after this event with Cornelius
that the Jews truly began to understand the scope of the Gospel.Luke writes, “When they [the Jews] heard
these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ’Then God has
also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life,’” (Acts 11:18).

Unfortunately,
many people have been misled to ignore the context of Cornelius’ story.Many good and sincere people have spent hour
after hour praying through for the gift of tongues only to be
disappointed.Many are left feeling
guilty as though they are somehow inferior to others who claim to have the gift
of tongues.This has even caused some
people to faked speaking in tongues to avoid the stigma of attached to not
receiving the gift.

Every
Christian Speaking In Tongues?

The Bible is
again ignored by some in the modern movement when they teach that every
Christian is suppose to speak in tongues.There are others in the modern movement who do not believe that every
Christian should to speak in tongues.This is one of those variations that causes us to question the validity
of the modern movement.If they are all
being led by the same Holy Spirit, then why this disagreement about who is
suppose to be speaking in tongues?Obviously, someone in the movement is wrong.

Those groups
that teach that every Christian is to speak in tongues ignore the direct
teachings of Paul.He emphasized the
fact that not all Christians speak in tongues.He wrote, “Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers?Are all
workers of miracles?Do all have gifts
of healings? Do all speak with tongues?Do all interpret?” (I Corinthians 12:29,30).The answer to each of these questions is NO!Paul directly teaches that all Christians
do not speak in tongues.In fact, I Corinthians
12:4-30 is written to show that every one does not have the same gift.Yet, many modern day supporters of the
tongues movement ignore nearly an entire chapter of Scripture and teach that
every Christian is to speak in tongues.A few even teach that a person is not really a Christian until he speaks
in tongues.

Acts 1:15

Some members
of the modern movement mishandle Acts chapter one and two by claiming that the
people in Acts 2:1 are all the same people mentioned in Acts 1:15.Their first mistake is that they overlook the
fact that different days are under consideration.Acts 2:1 says, “When the Day of Pentecost
had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”This is a different day from the one
mentioned in Acts 1:15.

Further more, the last group in focus in
Acts 1 is not the 120 of Acts 1:15 but specifically the apostles.Acts 1:26 says, “And they cast their lots,
and the lot fell on Matthias.And he was
numbered with the eleven apostles.”The
antecedent of “they” in Acts 2:1 is the “apostles” in Acts 1:26.By ignoring the context, some have concluded
that all 120 spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost.Then, from that position the illogical jump
is made that all Christians for all time should speak in tongues.

Even if we
allow that all 120 people spoke in tongues, it still does not prove that
tongues were to last until the end of time.The actual number of people who spoke in tongues during the first
century does not prove anything about the modern practice.(If numbers prove the modern practice, then
why don’t these modern groups insist on water baptism too?The Bible say that 3000 were baptized in Acts
2:41)

Mark 16:17,18

Mark 16:17,18
is a favorite of many in the modern movement.Mark wrote, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My
name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will
take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”These two verses are held up as proof that
miracles are to be practiced until the end of time.

Look at the
text carefully.Does it say that
miracles will be practiced until the end of time?If so, then apparently John did not understand
the perpetual nature of miracles because he made a record of miracles for later
generations.John wrote, “And truly
Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not
written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name”
(John 20:30,31).

The signs do
follow us today wherever the Gospel is preached.While the miracles are not being performed
today, the recorded miracles testify even to this day that Jesus is the Christ
the Son of God.We do not have to have
miracles performed in the present for miracles to be a part of our faith.Christ made this point when He was telling
about the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16.Lets begin at verse 27, “Then he [the rich man] said, ‘I beg
you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have
five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place
of torment.’Abraham said to him, ‘They
have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ’No, father
Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’But he said to him, ’If they do not hear
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the
dead.’”We learn here that God’s
inspired word continues to speak throughout time.Once it has been confirmed, God is not
obligated to reconfirm His word for each new generation.Just as the signs Moses performed continued
to follow the Jews and provide sufficient proof for hundreds of years after
Moses was gone, so likewise it is for us concerning the New Testament
miracles.The miracles follow us in the
Gospel we preach and are sufficient proof for all time to come.

Tongues Will
Cease

Nearly 2000 years ago Paul was teaching
people that tongues were temporary.He
wrote, “...But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there
are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish
away.For we know in part and we
prophesy in part.But when that which is
perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (I
Corinthians 13:8-11).

Paul’s basic
point is that the gifts are temporary.The question for us is, when will tongues cease?Paul answers that question, “But when that
which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”Tongues were intended to last only until the “perfect”
arrived.

Our next
question, of course, is, what does Paul have in view as that which is
perfect?The context clearly answers
this question.In verse 9 Paul said, “For
we know in part and we prophesy in part.”In this text Paul refers to their imperfect, or incomplete,
knowledge.Therefore, the “perfect” that
Paul has in view is complete knowledge and prophesy.Paul is simply telling them that when the
knowledge and prophesy that God intended to reveal is complete, then the gifts
would cease.

Some people ignore
the context and insist that only heaven, or the second coming of Christ, can be
what Paul had in view as “that which is perfect.”They ignore the context and insert their
own ideas into the text in an attempt to defend the modern practice tongues. Further more, they focus in on a very narrow
meaning of the word “perfect” and then claim that it could only describe
heaven.They forget that “perfect” also
means: excellent, complete, exactly fitting the need, correct, pure, and having
all parts present.The word “perfect”
superbly describes the complete revelation of knowledge and prophecy that we
have in the Bible today. When we understand the word “perfect” in this way we
are also respecting the context of I Corinthians 13:8-10.

I Corinthians
13:8 and Knowledge

Some people
ignore the context of I Corinthians 13:8 where Paul refers to the special gift
of knowledge.They claim that the
knowledge of this text is secular knowledge such as medical, computer, and
scientific knowledge.They overlook the
fact that Paul is referring to the gift of prophecies (I Cor. 12:10) and the
gift of tongues (I Cor 12:10) and the gift of knowledge (I Cor. 12:8).They ignore the context entirely and twist
the text to support their own desires.

If they were
consistent with their use of the word knowledge then they would have to
conclude that at Jesus’ return God will no longer know everything because
“knowledge” will vanish away.Likewise ,
we will also become ignorant at Christ’s return because our “knowledge” will
vanish.If we accept their misuse of the
word knowledge then all sorts of foolishness results.But, if we respect the context and understand
that Paul is referring to the gift of knowledge given by the Holy Spirit, then
it all begins to make sense again.

Face to Face

I Corinthians
13:12 has also been taken out of context and used to defend the modern tongues
movement.In this verse Paul writes, “For
now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.Now I know in part, but then I shall know
just as I also am known.”Twice
Paul ties this verses into the context.Paul writes, “For now we see...dimly” and “Now I know in
part.”This is the same thing that
Paul was talking about in verse 9 when he wrote, “For we know in part and we
prophesy in part.”Paul has not
changed topics.He is still referring to
the incomplete
revelation of their day.They did not
yet have the complete Bible to sit before and study as we do today.

Some will
argue that the phrase “face to face” can only be understood as referring
to a time when we are in heaven with God.This argument ignores other Bible usages of the phrase “face to
face.”Consider the following
references.

Genesis 32:30,
“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘For I have seen God face to
face, and my life is preserved.’”

Numbers 14:14,
“...They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord,
are seen face to face and your cloud stands above them.”

Deuteronomy
5:2-4, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.The Lord did not make this covenant with our
fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive.The Lord talked with you face to face on the
mountain from the midst of the fire.”

Ezekiel
20:35,36, “And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and
there I will plead My case with you face to face.Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers
in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,’ says
the Lord God.”

We easily
understand that these verses do not use the phrase “face to face” in a
literal sense, but rather a figurative sense.We know this because in Exodus 33:20 God says, “You cannot see My
face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

In I Corinthians
13:12 the phrase is not restricted to meaning only in heaven.We can see God “face to face” today in the
same sense that the Jews in the Old Testament days saw God “face to face.”

Know As I Am
Known

In I
Corinthians 13:12 Paul wrote, “...Now I know in part, but then I shall know
just as I also am known.”Some
people take Paul’s words here in the strictest literal sense and claim that
such a state of knowing can only be achieved in heaven.This attempt to defend the modern practice of
tongues, unwittingly makes men equal with God.If Paul’s words are taken in the strictest literal sense, then when we
get to heaven we will known everything that God knows, just as surely as He
knows every thing there is to know about us.

I do not
believe that Paul is teaching that Christians will become omniscient in
heaven.I believe that Paul is saying
that when the revelation of God is complete, then we will know everything that
we need to know.We will have complete
access to that revelation, just as God has complete access to us.Understanding Paul in this way fits the
context of I Corinthians 13:12, and also avoids the problem of making man God’s
equal.

Now Abide
Faith, Hope, and Love

A common
defense of the modern movement is to say that tongues will last until the
perfect comes, and the perfect is heaven.In heaven tongues will stop, but faith, hope, and love will continue on
into eternity.This explanation is in
conflict with other Bible verses.

For example,
in Romans 8:24,25 Paul wrote, “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that
is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?But if we hope for what we do not see, we
eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”Our Christian hope ends upon our victorious entrance into heaven.It does not continue on into eternity.

The faith we
exercise in the course of this life will not be carried on into eternity.In this life we, “walk by faith, not by
sight” (II Corinthians 5:7), but in heaven we will see.In this life our faith, “...is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things notseen” (Hebrews 11:1), but in heaven we
will see.

Paul saw a day
coming, long before the end of time, when Christians would no longer speak in
tongues, but they would continue on in faith, hope, and love.

Do not forbid
to speak in tongues

Some think
that they find support for modern day tongues in
I Corinthians 14:39.In this verse Paul
writes, “…and do not forbid to speak with tongues.”In their zeal to support the modern day
movement, they don’t stop to consider the inconsistency that they create.Paul said tongues would cease, but now they
have Paul saying that tongues will not cease.Is Paul contradicting himself and now saying that tongues will last
until the end of time?No, of course
not.Paul is simply looking ahead and
preventing an overreaction against tongues.Paul has told them that the gift of tongues is not the greatest gift, he
has told them to do things decently and in order, and he now anticipates that
some may decide that it would be best to forbid tongues completely.

Paul does not
contradict himself in the least.As long
as God chose to give man the gift of tongues, man was not to suppress the
gift.Paul is saying that it is not
man’s place to end the gift of tongues.It is God’s place.God would
bring tongues to an end when He completed His
revelation of knowledge and prophecy, which He did sometime before the end of
the first century.

Do Not Quench
the Spirit

Some think
that they find support for the modern tongues movement in I Thessalonians 5:19
where Paul writes, “Do not quench the Spirit.”They interpret this to be saying, “Do not
stop talking in tongues until the end of time.”Quite a difference, isn’t it?Again this makes Paul contradict himself, he tells the Corinthians that
tongues would cease and then tells the Thessalonians that tongues would not
cease.

This
interpretation of I Thessalonians 5:19 is self serving.They take a text that is general in nature
and twist it down to a very narrow point.They make it say something specific that it does not say.It is this kind of mishandling of the
Scriptures that has given religion a bad name.This is one of the reasons why unbelievers scoff at the Bible and claim
that it teaches anything that one wants it to teach.In our effort to restore New Testament
Christianity, we cannot stoop to such irresponsible handling of the Scriptures.

When God ended
tongues, the Spirit was not quenched or harmed in any way whatsoever.If ending tongues somehow hinders the Spirit,
then those who believe that tongues will end at the end of time must also
believe that the Spirit will somehow be hindered at the end of time.We totally
reject this idea.The Spirit will not
suffer any harm at the end of time, nor did the Holy Spirit suffer any harm
when tongues ceased sometime before the end of the first century.

“Do not
quench the Spirit” does not mean “Do not stop talking in tongues until the
end of time.”Paul is telling Christians
not to become indifferent in fighting the good fight.He is reminding us that we are to be a
special people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:15).That is what we have been redeemed for, that
is the direction the Spirit leads us.

Tongues of
Angels

Some think
that they have found a defense for their modern practice of tongues by claiming
that they are speaking the tongues of angels, not of men.This is why an earthly language cannot be
identified, because they are not speaking any earthly language than man could
recognize.Their proof text is I
Corinthians 13:1, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but
have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”From this verse they claim that angels have
their own special language.Then they
claim that this is the language that they are speaking in the practice of
tongues.

There are, of
course, several problems with this approach.First, if there is such a language of angels, the mere existence of such
a language does not prove the modern practice to be correct.

Next, Paul
told us to, “Test, all things” (I Thessalonians 5:21).John warned us, “Beloved, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false
prophets have gone out into the world” ( I John 4:1).When people in the modern movement claim to
be speaking an unearthly language, they make it impossible for us to obey God’s
instructions in I Thessalonians 5:21 and in I John 4:1.They make God the author of confusion.On one hand He tells us to “test all
things” and then He gives us something that we can’t test to determine
whether or not it is really a language.

This defense
of modern tongues gets more complicated.When Paul was caught up into paradise, he heard words “...which it is
not lawful for a man to utter” (II Corinthians 12:4).If what Paul heard was the special language of angels, then that
language cannot be the language of the modern tongues movement, because it is
not lawful for a man to utter it.

If we will use
Bible words in Bible ways, then the Bible clearly defines tongues.The Bible says, “And when this sound
occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone
heard them speak in his own language.They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not
all these who speak Galileans?And how
is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?’”Acts 2:6-8

Later in Acts
we also read, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit
fell upon all those who heard the word.And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as
came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the
Gentiles also.For they heard them speak
with tongues and magnify God…”Acts
10:44-46.

According to
the Bible’s description, the gift of tongues was the ability to speak a
language that one had not studied.It
was a language that other people could understand.It was not a language unknown on earth.Modern man has no right to reject the Bible’s
definition and then create his own definition, one that is custom-built to justify
their modern day practice.But even this
attempt of modern man fails.Jesus
described tongues when He said that tongues would be a sign (Mark 16:17).If tongues are nothing more than
unintelligible sounds, then how are they a sign?(See I Corinthians 14:8-11)

You Just Have
to Take A Leap of Faith

This is one of
the more irresponsible things to come out of the modern tongues movement.The Bible does not encourage people to just
take a leap of faith.The Bible writers
very carefully set out to provide a solid foundation for faith.John wrote, “And truly Jesus did many
other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this
book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God” (John 20:30,31).Peter
tells his readers, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we
made known to you’re the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of His majesty” (II Peter 1:16).Paul told Timothy to, “...give
attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (I Timothy 4:13).True Christianity does not side-step man’s
mind.True Christianity builds upon the
solid book, chapter and verse foundation of the Scriptures.True Christians “Test all things” and
they “hold fast what is good” (I Thessalonians 5:21).

Conclusion

Unfortunately,
there is not enough room in this publication to address every argument and
question relevant to the modern tongues movement.It is my hope that this chapter has given you
enough information to see that the modern tongues movement does not have the
solid Bible basis necessary to heal the wounds of division that exist
today.In fact, the modern movement
actually adds to the division and confusion by encouraging people to follow the
“leading of the spirit,” even when it leads in contrary directions and contradicts
the Bible.We dare not attempt to build
our eternal hope upon such shifting sands.

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